Things to watch when the Lakers play the Denver Nuggets Friday night at Pepsi Center. The Lakers have a 2-0 series lead. 1. Can the Lakers contain the Nuggets' speed? Even with a 2-0 series lead, the Lakers shouldn't suddenly think they're invincible. The Nuggets chipped away at the Lakers' 19-point lead in Game 2 because they pushed in the open floor and wound up with 30 fast-break points. They outhustled the Lakers in rebounding (52-48) and second-chance points (26-19)

Dwight Howard took part in the Lakers' morning shoot-around and was expected to play Sunday night against Denver. Howard did not practice Saturday because of a sprained rotator cuff in his right shoulder. He was injured Friday against the Clippers after Caron Butler fouled him. Howard returned to the game following a Lakers timeout. Howard is averaging 17.4 points and 12 rebounds in his first season with the team. The Lakers have a tough schedule this week, starting Sunday against a team ahead of them in the standings and continuing with back-to-back games in Houston and San Antonio on Tuesday and Wednesday.

HOUSTON — Aaron Brooks swished a jumper with 2.9 seconds left and scored 31 points to help the Houston Rockets rally for a 125-123 victory over Denver on Monday night, snapping the Nuggets' six-game winning streak. Carmelo Anthony scored 45 points for the Nuggets, but missed a three-point try at the buzzer. Luis Scola grabbed the final rebound. Scola, who was coming off a career-high 44-point game, converted a key three-point play with 41 seconds remaining to put Houston ahead, 122-121.

Denver 105, at Utah 95: The Nuggets won without Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. San Antonio 97, at Washington 86: The Spurs' five-game win streak matches a season high. Cleveland 94, at New Jersey 86: LeBron James had 28 points as the Cavaliers won their seventh straight. at Boston 103, Toronto 96: The Celtics won without injured Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo. at Chicago 101, Orlando 93: Derrick Rose had 30 points to lead the Bulls to their season-high fourth straight win. at New Orleans 99, Houston 95: Chris Paul had 28 points and nine assists.

Denver 106, at San Antonio 99: Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points, Chauncey Billups had 18 and the Nuggets began a four-game trip with a win. at Charlotte 106, Philadelphia 105: Raymond Felton's driving layup with 4.7 seconds left capped a late comeback and the Bobcats bounced back from an embarrassing loss to New Jersey, which had lost an NBA-record 18 straight games to start the season before defeating Charlotte on Friday. at Minnesota 108, Utah 101: Kevin Love had 18 points and 10 rebounds in his second game back from a broken hand, and the Timberwolves won for the third time in 20 games.

Thieves broke a glass case, taking nuggets that had been collected over decades. Police, Siskiyou County sheriff's deputies and the California Department of Justice are investigating. Thieves in Yreka, Calif., made off with $3 million in gold nuggets Wednesday after breaking into the Siskiyou County Courthouse and smashing a glass case that contained a display on the area's mining history, officials said. The collection in the town near the Oregon border was about the only remnant of the Northern California county's little-known Gold Rush days.

The Nuggets have never won a playoff series in five tries against the Lakers, and there's little evidence to suggest an upset here. While the Nuggets pressed to get into the playoffs, the Lakers rested Kobe Bryant eight of their last 10 games, and gave Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol an entire week off between games. The Lakers won the regular-season series, 3-1, though their margins of victory were only three, four and six. Starting Forwards: Hey, it's only the first category and Metta World Peace's suspension is already affecting the Lakers.

Tyson's Foods Inc. is recalling 75,000 pounds of chicken nuggets sold at Sam's Club stores nationwide after discovering the food contained pieces of plastic that have caused minor oral injuries to consumers, the company and the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. The recall is for five-pound bags of frozen chicken nuggets. “A small number of consumers who contacted the company indicated they had found small pieces of plastic in the nuggets,” the company said in a statement on its website.

As the final minutes ticked down in Denver's series-clinching win Wednesday over Dallas, Nuggets fans chanted "Beat L.A." But Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony wonders how many people really believe his team can beat L.A. "I don't think anybody thinks we can beat the Lakers," Anthony said Sunday night after it was learned the Nuggets will face them in the Western Conference finals beginning Tuesday at Staples Center. "A couple people probably think. We believe.

at Denver 112, Sacramento 109 (OT): Arron Afflalo hit a 21-foot baseline jumper with 18.4 seconds left in overtime for the Nuggets, who overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit. Kenyon Martin had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Chauncey Billups had 23 points for Denver, which improved to 3-0 in overtime this season and averted being swept in their three-game season series with the Kings. Milwaukee 97, at Miami 81: Andrew Bogut had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and the Bucks beat the Heat for the second time in three nights to pull within two games of slumping Miami for the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot.